Croc Hunter Irwin's Daughter Bindi Follows Family Tradition

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She touched hearts worldwide when she spoke at her father's 2006 memorial service, and now Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin’s daughter Bindi is poised to carry on the family tradition.

Asked by PopcornBiz if her father would be proud of the DVD release of her latest project "Free Willy 4: Escape from Pirate’s Cove," the 11-year-old said the movie was just one way to honor his entertaining and wildlife preserving legacy.

"I really want to carry on in his footsteps. I want to go where he left off," Bindi said. “I really loved my Dad. He's my hero and my inspiration. I really do look up to him."

The upcoming whale film isn’t Bindi’s first solo effort. She won a Daytime Emmy in 2008 for her wildlife documentary "Bindi the Jungle Girl." Having put in regular cameos on her dad’s television show, "The Crocodile Hunter Diaries," since she was a toddler, Bindi got a wealth of on-the-job training which prepared her for acting.

"My Dad taught me how to work under extreme circumstances for documentary filming because you couldn't say, ‘Can we get that elephant to charge again?’" Bindi explained. “It was basically one take. I applied that to this movie. And it helped me that I was comfortable around cameras."

In fact she was partially spurred on by her father's film work in 2002's "The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course."

"I've watched that movie so many times, that I just jumped at the chance to do this," she says.

And if anyone thought she was too young for the work project, she had Beau Bridges as her co-star. "Beau Bridges did his first movie at six years old. That's so cool," says Bindi, adding that she listened to his taped audio lessons on acting while working on the set.

Even though the filmmakers insisted she cut her long hair, Bindi managed to overcome the trauma. "I was having nightmares," she admits. "But they cut it and I loved it."

So much so that she's even up for another movie gig. "I really hope to another one day."